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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. kid — child
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — a break
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com